Actually, I'd rather you just told your friend to check out the column and chime in with a letter of his/her own. Yesterday's topic of most striking video game moments has stirred up a few responses, and we'll get to those letters and others soon.

It is I Love the 90s Day here on Q&A, so take out your favorite pogs, alphabetize your Goosebumps collection, and dance the Macalania... ehr... Macarena.

L E T T E R S

Take a sad song and make it better

Obvious spoilers follow

But I would say my most...important, shall we say, gaming moment came from one
of the secret endings in Chrono Trigger. This really was the first rpg I had
ever played, and this is the game that made me a fanatical gamer. I had beaten
every ending possible, gotten 99 of nearly every item, etc. I thought it was a
fantastic game with even better characters...but this ending really got to me.
Granted I was 11, so my gaming knowledge was somewhat limited, but the ending
where you beat lavos WITHOUT reviving crono almost made me tear up.

Everybody gives up. They think Crono is dead and he's never coming back. All
his friends are ready to go home. Except Marle (Nadia in my game ;). She tells
them that their journey isn't over, that they have to go find Crono, etc.

They don't listen to her. Anyway, the final shot is her going to Death
Peak...Crono's shadow appearing and her running to his ghost.

I suppose this opened my eyes because, for the first time, a romance was
really cool. REALLY cool. I replayed this about 10 or 12 times and I was just
blown away that she would give her life to be with him. I'm probably reaching
when I said that, the game IS ten years old, but still....best moment in my
gaming life. Some other games have come close, but none reach the amazing
nostalgia I get when I think of Chrono Trigger

-dollerz

HARRY

Nostalgia is beautiful, but that ending was priceless with or without it. Moments like those remind the doubters that gaming is a form of art, similar to but not completely like books and movies. Games tend to be more interactive though, other than those movies where the audiences make the decisions (whatever happened to those?) and the idea that books let readers decide how things really look. Unless we're talking about Charles Dickens spending a few pages describing a chair.

I would think that an ending so mature could factor into your personal evolution... plus it's a bit more touching than the one where everyone became frogs. Ribbit.

O Canada

Hi

I enjoyed reading the Q&A column it really fun to see what people asking and most people reply them. and here is my question but it is a short one.

I am wonder when Tales of Rebirth comes to North America since RPGamer hadnt heard any new updates on the PS 2 game. So my question is how long do we wait until Tales of Rebirth release in North America?

Andy

HARRY

We enjoy you enjoying how everyone is enjoying it. I know I enjoy it. And I enjoy letting you know that I enjoy it.

As much as I don't want to give this as a response... your guess is as good as anyone's. Logic and Player's Choice sales of Tales of Symphonia for GameCube would lead one to believe that the game should be North America bound. If we hear anything, we'll let you know!

What happened? I was home. What the hell HAPPENED!?

The moment that really sticks in my mind from an RPG would have to be when I finally beat Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (first GB Zelda.) As you all know, (SPOILER WARNING) the island of Koholint turned out to have all been a dream. Of course, I was only 12 years old, and it got shook me to the core. I couldn’t even TOUCH the game for MONTHS. ”All those people…they don’t exist…they’re all gone…and it’s all because of Link…oh this is really bad…” I thought. Yeah, it was one of the first serious moments in my gaming life.

*Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series spoilers ahead* Oh boy, it's the ending... and beginning... of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books all over again. Earth's gone... now it's there. Now it's gone again, and that's the end of it. This letter's not so far removed from the Chrono Trigger ending letter, and is a great example on how a youthful mind can make a great moment even greater.

A handheld and originally black, white and gray game dares to question our spiritual beliefs during an era in our lives where games are our best friends and our nurturers! I feel so violated!

As far as the Cubbies go, I'm busy pretending the Sosa and Big Mac chase is still on, and nobody would even begin to consider pumping 'roids. Cubs win!

I'll make you SQUEAL, pig-ay

(Final Fantasy VII Spoilers Ahead)

Hello Q&A Person (Don't want to type the wrong name),

My greatest moment in RPG gaming would have to be Final Fantasy VII...
You were expecting me to say "When Aeris died" right? Nope! I got that game
last Christmas after I saw the Final Fantasy XII trailer and was compelled
to check the rest of the series out. I play almost entirely RPGs. Final
Fantasy VII disappointed the heck out of me becasue everyone told me it was
the best game ever. Anyway, the part that stood out in my mind was this: The
slapping match between Tifa and Scarlett! Here Tifa is about to be publicly
executed for a crime she didn't commit just becasue Shinra baddies are
assholes, when she does the impossible and escapes. At this point I should
mention that Scarlett was so annoying to me and Tifa is my favorite
character. So of course this slapping match had a special place in my heart.
Man, I've never hammered a single button so rigorously! Does anyone else
know what I'm talking about? I love that moment.

Sincerely,

Megan Beck

HARRY

The fight was great, but what had me going was when the airship came and Tifa hustled her way to safety. But hey, I'm sure the slapping match gave a lot of people pleasure that they usually pay a steeper price for. I refuse to elaborate on the previous sentence.

Best anything ever tags tend to do a lot more damage than good. When we play most games, we have clear, non-biased judgement of what's going on. If we don't come into a game expecting the best RPG ever, we can appreciate it for what it is, #1 or not. You and many others would have an interesting time with The Beatles.

Yesterday, my troubles seemed so far away

Dear Harreath,

I just don't understand game these days. It's like...everything that
makes the great games great is being changed. The lack of world maps,
watered down battle systems, and corny, mainstream poppy characters.
We can't even get any good game music anymore. I mean...the Lunar
opening theme and Luna's Boat Song, or Xenogears' "Small Two of
Pieces."

I want a new game, with all the great wonders of modern technology,
that is still captivating and knocks me off my feet with awe. I don't
care if it takes 5 DVD-Roms and costs $100. I just want it to be good,
and I want it to last longer than a Harry Potter book, too.

When do you think we'll get another game like that? Where are the good
old days? Make them come back.

-JAS

HARRY

Eye of newt... hair of troll... stir... POOF! The magic of the old days has been brought back to life!

I'm not sure what your definition of good is, but what I can tell you (and I'm guessing you'd agree with this) is that technology can be a great thing if it's properly used. If not, it can end up creating more damage than good. There are SNES and PS1 RPGs that hold special places in my heart, and I can say the same for some PS2 and GameCube ones. I love Final Fantasy VI, Secret of Mana, and others of the era. I also love Final Fantasy X and Tales of Symphonia.

I've always considered plot development and charming characters crucial when evaluating the best RPGs. Are these features lacking in recent RPGs? You make the call. I must admit that I'm still in love with FF6's cast, after all these years.

We sound like chapters from a self-help booklet!

Abort, Retry, Fail?

Does Final Fantasy Chronicles work correctly on the
PS2? I know Anthology has problems with the PS2, but I
was wondering about Chronicles. Lately I've been
itching to play FF4 again, but I wanna make sure it
works on my PS2 first.

And anyway, where can I find a list of games that
don't work properly on the PS2?

HARRY

GameFAQs has the information you need, delivered through PlayStation 2 hardware FAQs. You can thank me later. Or now. Or never! Your decision.

Actually, it's happening because you didn't buy that warranty from the game store dude. He's angry at you, and he isn't going to let you feel good about not spending the extra cash. He's cursed your machine, and is waiting for the day that you try to return it. He will then laugh like a maniac, jump out the window, and have to pay to repair the window while also paying for his hospital bills. Meanwhile, you will have to pay to repair your PlayStation 2. Bummer.

C L O S I N G

One more special message to go, and then I'm done and I can go home:

Well, my two days are up, and Jordan/J/J Sensei/Sensei is due to take your letters next. He has a strong knowledge of the Japanese side of RPGaming, and legend has it that he stole my bellbottoms. Oh, what's the world coming to?

To answer my own topic of the day, I've always been a fan of (oh my lord, Final Fantasy 3/6/III/VI/some other number humanity is unable to comprehend, let alone symbolize here SPOILERS ahead) the opera scene from Final Fantasy VI. What can I say? I'm a sucker for Celes/Locke and pretty music. Plus there was that part where Ultros tries to drop the weight. I saw a parody of it where he's trying to drop an Xbox. It was actually funny!

Thanks for tolerating me the last couple days, and good luck in the future! May you be blessed with many mules in your barn. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it!